Hendrick's Press Trip

One of the real perks of my newish career is the occasional press trip. This month they've done the London bus trick, so I'm feeling a bit tired. Not tired and emotional, just tired. Back this lunchtime from a two-day thing with Hendrick's Gin, as well run and enjoyable as the Glenfiddich event last week. As ever the tasting and distillery visit the core of the trip, but I loved the gin and literature presentation by Damien Barr who was also a very amusing dinner companion and turned out to be a fellow chicken keeper. Wodehouse, chickens, the horrors of the ortolan, delights of the bullshot, beef Kobe and Argentine and the culinary wonders of Lyon just some of the topics covered in my area while the table of journos PR people and Wm Grant personnel was getting outside excellent food.

I remain, however, less than convinced by the whole cocktail revolution (are we on part 5 now?). Best servings of the gin for me were in a simple G&T with a slice of cucumber to bring out its cucumber essence (one of its likeable quirks along with the rose essence and use of two different still types), though I must admit the White Lady and Martinez both more than passable. Hendricks is actually a gin that would repay I think chilling down to drink neat, an experiment I will try sometime soon. Right now, though, I'm not in a rush to sip any gin for several days. Well done to the company btw for using recycled glass in its bottles, smart move as they look stylish too. And well done for smoothly run and amusing trip.

One Day You Will

Just back from the One Day You Will 'summit' at Glenfiddich, a very different sort of event (for me at least). To celebrate the pioneering aspect of the brand (currently repositioning itself) they laid on speakers who in their own fields are pioneers. Digital interactive artist Marek Bereza was a revelation, which given I was expecting something like videos of sawn up shoes was surprising. Brilliant and beautiful use of computer images, with no little wit thrown in that made his stuff entertaining as well as artistic. And a very humble and shy speaker. Bit of a contrast with polar explorer Pen Hadow (I'm still not sure why taking a deliberately difficult pathway to somewhere reached many times before should be considered exploring) who was  definitely not humble, and for this listener not entertaining either. Given the length of his presentation he didn't share that opinion. Eben Klemm, a molecular biologist turned mixologist, was another I had awaited with some trepidation, but he was fascinating: he has a scientific approach to flavours, isolating them, enhancing, matching, that was genuinely educational and revelatory. And a great guy to chat with. He had deconstructed various Glenfiddichs with a clever cold distillation technique, enabling us to experience specific elements of its make-up. Terrific. Many thanks to the Glenfiddich team at the distillery and in London, and the Future Laboratory guys.